1408

Swedish Steamer Trunk and 19th Century Textiles [141555]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 600.00 USD
Swedish Steamer Trunk and 19th Century Textiles   [141555]
SOLD
150.00USD+ (37.50) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2022 Feb 24 @ 14:25UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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Nice Antique Swedish Steamer Trunk with original lining. Top of the with hard wood trim and leather straps. Hard case, exterior covered with Burlap/Fabric adorned with hand-painted, black geometric design. Wonderful curved wood spines secured with brass rivets. Brass plates attached to wood spines on edges to protect corners. Thick leather handle straps secured with metal on ends, one handle is ripped on both ends with center missing, the other is broken in the center but still attached. Trunk measures approximately 3 ft long, 2 ft tall and 21" wide. Heavy duty, top of the line, European steamer trunk of the highest quality. Wear commensurate with age and use. One small section of wood spine on bottom edge is broken and missing. There is a square on the front indicating a label has been removed. The original bronze latches and locks on front need repair but are all present. This trunk was used, but not abused. Expected oxidation of metal. Some moisture staining but clean inside with a few tears to original fabric but no odors. Hinges are firm and secure. Opens and closes firmly. Please see photos. Top of the line and expensive in its day, harkening back to the Golden Age of Ocean Liners, Steam Travel and Luxury Jaunts.
Other trunks of similar design and quality are priced high online - this Swedish trunk may have great profit potential.
Exterior lettering stenciled on the top and left end, and large black writing on the bottom (designating passenger and number code for luggage, labelled by carrier) Top reads, "W. A. Grebst / Gothenburg / 2. W. G. Mrs." End label reads: "Mrs. Stella Grebst/Los Angeles, Calif." with a round sticker from The Savoy Hotel in London. A rectangular sticker on the interior appears to be the manufacturer of the trunk or the fabric lining, or both and is illustrated with a factory in Gothenborg, Sweden and the name John A. Gahme. Printer is Meyer & Kostner. This trunk most likely travelled across oceans by steamship several times. We found voyages for Stella and William Grebst on the Lucitania in 1914, the Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse in 1909 and the Stockholm in 1919. Stella Grebst was born in Boise, Idaho and married Sweden native, William but returned to the U.S. to live with her mother for several years during WWI. It appears the Grebsts travelled quite about between 1900-1920 as other passenger lists between San Francisco, Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Buenos Aries also exist, but oddly, the couple rarely travelled together, instead taking separate steamers and meeting at the destination location. There may be a story here, if time allowed additional research.
We've included with the trunk some beautiful antique textiles most likely dating to the mid-late 1800s, of the highest quality. 4 pieces including silk drapes, a vividly colored tapestry with fringe edges (beautiful craftsmanship) and a nice example of late 1800 needlepoint probably intended as a chair cushion. These 4 beautiful, antique textiles are all high-end pieces that could only be afforded by the very wealthy at the time they were made.

Date: c1900
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